


When nobody else was there

by SlytherinLady



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 12:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1550606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinLady/pseuds/SlytherinLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summer before his fifth year, Harry is all alone and his friends aren't at all helpful.<br/>He manages to get out of Privet Drive one day, though- and finds the most unexpected and pleasant company.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bertie Bott's Every-Flavoured Beans

"We can't trust you to stay alone in here as long as we're gone! Who knows what you will-"  
"Tell you what- how about I get out as well?"  
He was tired of being stuck in 4 Privet Drive. It had been a month since the holidays began, with no news from the Wizarding World and his friends's letters getting more and more frustrating. He spent the whole day in the house he hated and every night, he had nightmares involving Cedric...  
He needed some magic.  
Vernon Dursley narrowed his eyes and shaked his finger in front of Harry's face.  
"If you think I'm going to give a spare key to MY house, young man, you-"  
"Don't. Don't give me a key. Tell me what time you are most likely going to be back, so I'll come right after you..."  
He just wanded to grab his wand and disappear from this place, but that wasn't a wise decision. As frustrated as he was, he could see that.  
Vernon and Petunia exchanged a look. "I don't like you walking around in the neighbourhood, causing trouble..." the woman said, staring at her nephew.  
"I won't. They won't even notice me."  
If he wanted to get out of this place, he had to be kind to the Dursleys.

 

About half an hour later, he finally managed to convinced his aunt and uncle to let him out. "You'll be back, 9 o'clock sharp! Or you're sleeping out tonight." his aunt hissed.  
It was 3 in the afternoon, so he had plenty of time.  
He took his wand and some money and summoned the Knight Bus. He kindly avoided Stan Shunpike, who was way too eager to have a conversation with Harry and ask him 'what happened and he went loony'.  
He got off the bus at the 'Leaky Cauldron'. He knew exactly what to do from there.   
Half an hour after he left Privet Drive, he was in the Diagon Alley. It was too early for students to be there buying their Hogwarts books and equipment, but as always, the Alley was very busy.   
He was still in muggle clothes, but he couldn't care less. He got a few sharp looks from the bypassers, but he ignored them. He was finally amongst wizards.  
"...so then I bought some cauldron cakes, for the kids.." a witch with a feathered purple hat passed him by.  
"...I told him he shouldn't put fluxweed in the potion, but no, he didn't listen!" a short middle-aged wizard was complaining.  
"The Chudley Cannons really did it this year..." a young man interrupted his phrase to look at Harry as the teenager passed by, and started whispering something to his ginger female friend when he thought Harry was no longer within earshot. He thought wrong.

 

He stopped in front of the 'Eeylops Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie' to take a look at the owls. A black one tilted its head and stared at Harry with its big yellow eyes. He felt guilty for leaving Hedwig behind, but he couldn't really take her with him and he didn't like the thought of letting her wander around wherever she wanted for six hours.   
Besides, she was out every night while for Harry, this could be his first and last chance to get out of this place he called "home". Sort of. Well, nothing like it.  
He got a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and sat on a bench right across 'Floorish and Blotts'. Some of the bypassers noticed him, some others didn't. Some commented on his muggle clothes, some on the fact that he was attention-seeking.  
Right now, he couldn't care less. He was happy just sitting there, amongst wizards, biting on his peach-flavoured bean.  
He had a secret hope he would see a friendly face... hoping for Ron or Hermione was too much. Besides, he was furious at them right now. Maybe a classmate...   
Be careful what you wish for, cause you just might get it, they say...  
A few minutes later, a boy came out of Floorish and Blotts, holding something that looked like a Hogwarts book. The boy was tall, with blonde hair and somehow greyish pale skin. Draco Malfoy. Awesome.  
He threw a white bean in his mouth, that proved to be milk-flavoured. His adversary sat on the bench nex to his, too busy with his book to pay attention to Harry.  
The ebony-haired boy slowly got up, planning to leave, but Draco decided to take his eyes off his book abruptly. Emerald eyes met silver ones. Harry sighed and sat back on his bench, trying to ignore the blonde completely, hoping he would do the same.  
Draco stared at the void for a few seconds. Then, he got off his bench, looked around and moved to Harry's bench.  
Perfect.

The teenager was about to say something, but Harry didn't give him a chance. "I'm not in the mood, Malfoy."  
The boy looked insulted and confused. He turned his eyes away from Harry and opened his book again. His cheeks seemed to have a bit of colour now...  
Harry threw a peppermint flavoured bean in his mouth and looked at the offended Slytherin. "What, no snarky comments?" he said, staring at him.  
Draco didn't take his eyes off his book. "Not today, Potter."  
"What's so special about today?"  
"Nothing. I thought you weren't in the mood..." he said, less ironically than he wanted to.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.   
Did Draco come here to...talk to him?  
What could they possibly discuss?  
He looked at Draco- he WAS blushing. And he was adorable.  
Did he... did he just think of Draco as adorable?  
...Again?

He looked at the blonde. "You wanted to say something..." he said slowly.  
"Never mind. It was a bad idea coming here, anyway..." he said and closed the book, planning to leave.  
Harry noticed the cover. Something to do with potions.  
"I wouldn't be able to read that book." he said urgently, trying to stop Draco from leaving. Which he did because...?  
"It's the fifth year's potions textbook. You will have to learn how to read it anyway..." Draco answered.  
"Well, I suck at potions, anyway.", he said as he digged in his box to find the least suspicious bean.  
Draco stared at the small box. "How can you like these?" he said.

Two hints that something really weird was going there: one, they hadn't used each other's surnames in a few moments now, two, they were, apparently, making small talk. 

"I just do!" he said, putting an orange one in his mouth. Orange-flavoured. And here he thought it would be broccoli. "You... don't?"  
"I don't like surprises..." the blonde said, lifting his eyes to look at Harry's face.  
"Well... they're not that much of a surprise!". He took a red one out of the box. "This can be either strawberry, tomato, or wine! Nothing... weird."  
"Well, I can bet it's going to be something else." Draco said with a cunning look on his face.  
Harry shrugged his shoulders again. "Challenge accepted!". He put the small bean in his mouth and swallowed it hard a few seconds later. He turned to look at Draco, who looked like a cat who was planning to sharpen its nails on your favourite couch.  
"...And I stand corrected." he said. "It's... I think it's blood!"  
Draco laughed. Harry looked at him and smiled. "It's sort of.. sweet... and... iron-like..."  
"You can't say I didn't warn you!" the teenager said, smiling.  
"Well... you did." he said, sounding surprised.

Another moment of awkward silence followed, before Draco decided to speak. "I... I wanted to give you my condolences. I didn't really have the time to do so. I am sorry for your loss..." he said fast, forgetting how to breathe.  
Harry smiled sadly. "Thank you. And do breathe."  
Draco smiled in a reserved way.   
It seems the snob Slytherin actually had feelings.

"Wizards' clothes are not good enough for you anymore? You want to stand out more?" Draco said, looking at Harry's faded jeans and simple black shirt. The ebony-haired boy smiled.  
"You know me, Malfoy. Always seeking the spotlight. Why are you here anyway?"  
"My father is on a diplomatic trip... or something of the like. My mother went to visit some relatives. I was alone- sneaking out without the elves noticing is easy." he answered. "Why are you here?"  
"Anything to ruin your day, Draco." he smiled.  
"I don't doubt that. And you just called me Draco..."  
"I... did?" it was Harry's turn to blush. Draco seemed amused. "Well, a mistake like that won't happen again."  
"Right... Why are you here anyway?" he said, smirking slightly.  
"My aunt and uncle had to go somewhere... and I was bored." he answered. An answer that was not 100% true and accurate, but the blonde Slytherin didn't have to know that.

Draco nodded. Harry put a light green bean in his mouth- it tasted like overcooked cabbage. "You know what? I'm going to get something less surprising to eat." he said and threw the box in a garbage bin nearby. There were few left, anyway.  
The blonde nodded once again, giving Harry a facial expression that looked almost like a smile. Harry got off the bench and stared at the void once again.

Honestly, he had imagined that before. Himself asking Draco to spend the day with him, or something similar. It was ridiculous- Draco Malfoy was undoubtedly his biggest rival but for some reason he had pictured himself... asking him out? No surprise. That wasn't the only thing he had imagined doing with Draco. Those thoughts came and left in his mind. He thought it was normal some time ago- the process of realising he was gay wasn't easy for him, so he thought imagining himself with cute boys was part of the whole... coming out deal. He had to admit, Draco was one hell of an eye candy.

However, Draco didn't seem to leave his mind even when he accepted completely he was gay- well, not completely. He hadn't come out to anyone yet- not even Ron and Hermione- he was afraid of how they would react.   
There were a few nights that were still kind to him, so instead of dreaming Cedric's death or running in an endless maze, he dreamt of other things. And by other things, he meant kissing Draco Malfoy and touching his naked chest. Sometimes more than that...

Draco's behaviour was a huge surprise. The young Slytherin was always bossy, rude and snide when Harry was around. Perhaps he had decided to be a bit kinder to Harry because his friends weren't around to judge him? Well, the teenager was the closest thing he had to communicating with a wizard right now. It probably was worth a shot, even though this boy was Draco Malfoy.  
He looked at the blonde. "I'll probably get myself some cauldron cakes and a butterbeer." he said.  
"And a few extra pounds, apparently." he answered and gave Harry a very attractive half-smile. He imagined himself screaming at him to go on a date, similarly to what Ron had done in front of that veela in their fourth year.   
"Care to accompany me? You could use a few pounds yourself..." he said. As he was waiting for the boy to answer, his heart was bumping in his chest.

Draco got off the bench, fixing his clothes slightly. He held his book against his chest, just like Hermione did sometimes. "And risk being seen with you?"  
He had a feeling that was a trick question. "Yes...?" Harry said, meeting Draco's silver eyes once again.  
"Deal."


	2. The word is "bitching", Potter

He was home by nine, and he already was in his bed at ten. The window was open- Hedwig was out. There were a few letters from Ron and Hermione he hadn't opened yet, but he wouldn't do it tonight. He opened Sirius's letter, but ignored the rest- he was in a good mood finally after a long time, he didn't want to ruin it.  
When he had asked Draco to go with him, he honestly expected he would get mad at the boy within an hour, or that some young purebloods would appear and Draco would hide in the nearest restroom. The young Slytherin though, proved to be a good company. The snarky, witty comments were part of their conversation, nothing malicious though.   
Hanging around like this in the Diagon Alley was probably risky. Nobody seemed to notice that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were walking together. The boys didn't really hear anything. People wanted to avoid even making eye-contact with Harry and that was, apparently, useful. He was so glad Hermione had "gotten rid" of Rita Skeeter, as well.   
Harry got his cauldron cakes, butterbeer and extra pounds and bought some for Draco too. "I told you before, my treat..." he said when the boy complained. Seeing Draco laugh at his jokes was certainly... scary. He had seen Draco's bad side, he thought he honestly knew the boy. Now he could clearly see there was a lot more to him than the nosy, stuck-up teenager he had showed Harry multiple times he was.  
Later, they had dinner together- Harry let Draco pay for it.

"If I am to avoid your complaining, by all means..."  
"Glad to hear it. And I think the word you're looking for, Potter, is 'bitching' ".

Before saying goodnight, Draco mentioned his parents would be gone in three days again. He would try to sneak out or even better, kick the Dursleys out, so he would coincidentally go to Diagon Alley and meet Draco at the same place he had met him today.

His snowy owl returned. The teenager closed the window, put her in her cage and fed her. 

"Is it crazy that I want to see him again?" he whispered to his owl.  
Round, amber eyes stared at him as the owl hooted at her owner.   
"That probably means yes, but I will take it as a no, since that's what I want to hear now."  
Then again, it could mean 'Just shut up and feed me'.  
Who knows...


	3. Owls are loving creatures

When the Dursleys announced they would leave again the day Draco had said his parents would be gone, Harry tried to pretend he didn't really care. About an hour after his relatives left, the ebony-haired boy was waiting for Draco in the spot they had met last time.  
Of course he hadn't spoken to Draco, he didn't know if he really would be there, or what time he would be. He just... trusted his enstict.  
"Are you stalking me, Potter?"  
He saw the teenager standing over him, his arms folded on his chest.  
"I was here first, Malfoy... That probably means YOU are stalking me!".

 

Before they knew, they were seeing each other a lot more often than they had expected.   
Harry went coincidentally to this very bench in Diagon Alley every time the Dursleys were gone. After a while, Draco started sneaking out while his family was home, and so did Harry. They had less time to spend together, but at least they would get to see each other.  
Scary thought, really.  
It had been more than a month since they started meeting and they were practically together every day. Hanging out on the Diagon Alley was risky- if they had time, they would sometimes go to Hogsmeade and Harry would give the pale Slytherin lots of candy. They usually took the Knight Bus- Stanley didn't like the Malfoy family, so approaching Harry and Draco wasn't a choice. Draco seemed to like that bus, for some crazy reason. Maybe because it was a means of transportation the high pureblood society never used, so he didn't worry about falling on acquaintances. Since he was paranoid, though, he always hid himself under a hood. Harry simply smiled and stood in front of the boy, in a way that it would be really difficult for him to be seen.   
When they couldn't go to Hogsmeade, he let the blonde lead the way- surprisingly, he knew safe places that the boys had no danger of being seen.  
The letters from his friends hadn't changed. Innuendos, things they weren't telling him. Sometimes he got frustrated and Draco could tell. Of course Harry couldn't explain but in the end- he didn't have to. The blonde had his way of making him smile.  
And yes, we are still talking about Draco Malfoy. The very one.

 

One day, Draco was late. Both Draco's parents and the Dursleys were gone, so they had time and Harry wasn't worried. He would show up. He was looking at the window shops when he noticed something in the 'Eeylops Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie.' He wasn't fond of owl races, he knew the basics. He probably wouldn't be able to tell what it was if Draco hadn't talked to him about those owls. Barn owls were usually white, with brown details on their head and wings. A black barn owl was very rare. The bird looked at Harry through the window shop with its dark brown eyes. It was black, with a brown neck and chest. It would probably be expensive for an owl. Draco seemed to like those owls a lot though- his birhday was about a month ago and Harry hadn't gotten him anything. The teenager entered the shop- the owner seemed worried when he saw Harry; what happened to his white owl? She was just fine, this one was a gift. Ten minutes later, Harry left the shop and the middle-aged man, smiling, took the cage off the window shop.

Draco arrived some time later, apologizing for being late. His mother wanted to lecture him for... Merlin knows what. The day was beautiful and Harry let Draco take him wherever he felt like- they had already gone to Hogsmeade once this week and going there often was dangerous for many reasons.  
Later in the evening, as they were returning, Harry was wondering. They had never discussed about it, but... where they dating? Was what they were doing considered dating?   
"I see quandary in your eyes..."  
He turned to look at Draco. "Well... maybe."  
"Is... is this about Weasly and Granger?"

Draco was used to seeing Harry upset due to his friends- he didn't know what the problem was, but he eventually figured it had something to do with Harry's best friends.  
"No, none of that... I'm just thinking." Harry said, smiling softly.  
"I am surprised as well."  
Harry laughed. His fingers found Draco's. Soon, they were intertwined.  
"Draco..."  
"First name basis. This is serious." he said, looking at Harry.  
They stopped just before entering the Diagon Alley. They were alone.  
"I... I will sound stupid, but I... I am wondering." he said, looking anywhere but Draco's eyes. He softly let go of the boy's fingers.  
"Well, go ahead, little Gryffindor." he said softly.  
"Draco are we... are we dating?"

He blushed immediately. He finally raised his eyes and looked into Draco's. The boy seemed conflicted for a few seconds- Harry's heart skipped a beat.  
"Yes, Harry. We are."  
Relief.  
"Come, I want to give you something." he grabbed Draco's hand and got him in the Diagon Alley. They stopped in front of the owl shop.  
"It's closing." Draco said, looking confused.  
"Not just yet. Come in."

Draco entered the shop, followed by Harry. The owner saw Harry and smiled.   
"This person you are giving him to must be very important to you. A gift like that is very beautiful and personal."  
He disappeared in the back of the shop. Draco gave Harry a confused look.  
His silver eyes widened in surprise when he saw the middle-aged wizard coming towards them with the cage. The black owl stared at Draco and hooted.   
"There you go, Mr. Potter! Take care of him! Owls are loving creatures..."

Harry handed the cage to Draco and let the wizard rant about owls- he was so similar to Hagrid. The teenager smiled.   
Ten minutes later, the boys were out. They didn't speak until they were hidden in a small road nearby.  
Harry spoke first. "I didn't get you a birthday present so... there you go! I talked to the owner, he won't mention he saw us together... It's a he, by the way... Of course we need to work on an excuse on who gave you that owl- it's not one of these presents you can hide-"  
"Thank you... He... He is lovely. These owls are very rare! And you remembered I wanted one..." Draco said. His face was beaming.  
"It's not that big of a deal..."

Harry looked at his wristwatch- it was already eight thirty- he had to hurry.

"I wish we could spend some more time together, I-"  
Draco put the cage down and dragged Harry in his arms. The slightly shorter boy blushed, but didn't pull away from Draco's arms. The blonde Slytherin leaned in and caressed Harry's lips with his own. His heart was dancing in his chest.  
"I haven't really... kissed-"  
"Even better..."

 

When they broke the kiss, Harry was slightly shaking. Draco smiled, captured Harry's lips in his own once again and whispered "You must go... I don't want you to get in trouble. We'll meet in two days, at the same spot."  
Harry nodded numbly. He kissed Draco again- he was still a bit reckless, but Draco seemed to enjoy kissing him.  
When he let go of the young Gryffindor, he staggered away, planning to go to the Leaky Cauldron and summon the Knight Bus. Draco would leave after him.  
"Now... how shall I call you?" he heard Draco asking and the owl hooting happily.

Damn it. Draco was a really great kisser.


	4. A day with the Slytherins

This time, the Dursleys would be gone overnight. Harry had two options: they would either lock him in the house, or he would spend the night with Mrs Figg, the kind-hearted but extremely boring and somehow weird catlady that was their neighbour.  
Quite honestly, he prefered the second. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep because of the cats' meowing, but it certainly was better than being locked in this horrible place the Dursley's called home, even for one night.  
Luckily, the Dursleys trusted Harry to tell Mrs Figg he was spending the night there himself. That evening, Vernon Dursley locked the door as many times as possible and left, giving Harry one last warning look.   
Harry looked at the small house that was Mrs Figg's apartment. He would go there later- he could use a walk on the Diagon Alley right now.  
His friend's letters were as frustrating as ever and Sirius kept telling him to stay in and be a good boy. As much as he loved his godfather, he couldn't do that- he had enough.   
Unfortunately, he wasn't going to see Draco today. Mrs Zabini was out of town, so Blaise was staying at the Malfoy Manor for a few days. Draco couldn't sneak out and see Harry while his friend was there...  
Diagon Alley sure felt lonely without Draco. He hadn't see the blonde Slytherin in weeks and frankly... he missed him. He passed by 'Eeylops Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie'. How had Draco named that owl, anyway?  
Wizards and witches were passing by, commenting on the young Gryffindor and the latest news on him. 

He remembered Draco's words. "People can get really cruel... to fight their fears, or even hide who they trully are so they will be liked. Less than half of these people mean what they say about you... Don't hate me when I will do the exact same- none of the words I will speak are the truth".   
He had smiled and, after making sure nobody was watching, he had kissed his boyfriend softly. "I know you better than that now."

He was standing outside the 'Quality Quidditch Supplies' shop, checking some new broomsticks out- none of them was a match for his Firebolt- when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and came face to face with none other than Blaise Zabini. The boy was smiling cunningly. Behind him was standing a red as ever Draco.  
"I didn't expect to find you here, Potter!" the young Slytherin said, smiling at Harry. To his surprise, the smile was quite honest.  
"Am I not allowed to go for a walk?" Harry said, trying not to sound hostile.  
"Oh, yes you are. Say, why don't you hang out with us today?" Zabini said, folding his arms on his chest. Draco rolled his eyes and sighed.  
That was way too fast for Harry. "Wait-what?" he said, widening his emerald eyes in surprise.   
"Look, I'll just go in the shop and pretend I want something and give Draco here some time to explain, okay?" he smiled and entered the shop.  
Harry searched for his boyfriend's silver eyes. Draco cleared his throat and stood next to Harry, pretending to check out the broomsticks that had caught Harry's attention a few minutes ago.  
"Shall I panic?" Harry asked quietly, making sure he was looking anywhere but Draco.  
"Long story short... I told him about us and-"  
"You did what?!" Harry raised his voice accidentally.  
After making sure nobody was staring, Draco spoke again. "Blaise is my best friend... I wanted to talk to someone about... us... and I did..! He's the most trustworthy person I know, don't worry... I.."  
There was a moment of silence between the boys.  
"I didn't expect to see you here, today..." Draco said, his voice becoming smoother.  
"Same here... Well, you know what they say. Be careful what you wish for..."  
"You... you wished for me?" Draco's cheeks were once again turning red.  
"Are you kidding me? I haven't seen you in a week...I... missed you."  
Red cheeks didn't look as adorable on Harry as they did on Draco.  
"How did he take it?" Harry asked, just when Blaise Zabini came out of the shop again.  
"I said I wanted to meet you.. and here I am!" he said, smiling at the Gryffindor.  
"You... know me!" Harry said.  
"No, I don't. I know Potter, the bloody annoying Gryffindor boy-who-lived guy, not Harry, Draco's boyfriend." he whispered the last words, so only Harry and Draco coule hear.  
"Still, don't you think it's weird... the three of us, hanging out together?" Harry asked, looking around him.  
"We can go to Hogsmeade... It's Monday, in the middle of the summer... It's practically empty." Draco answered. "That is, if you have time..."  
"The Dursleys will be gone for the night... so..." Harry said, smiling.  
"So... Knight Bus?" Draco said, looking around him to make sure nobody was listening.  
"You got it!" Blaise answered.

It definitely was Harry's lucky day. The Knight Bus was nearly empty. The presence of the two young Slytherins kept Shunpike away.   
Draco was right- Hogsmeade was practically empty. Harry felt weird- he was used in seeing the village constantly full of people.  
"I would kill for some Cauldron Cakes..." Blaise said.  
"Honeydukes?" Harry asked.  
"I am starting to like you..." the young Slytherin answered.  
They spent hours walking around Hogsmeade, eating sweets like crazy, talking and laughing. Harry was pleasantly surprised- the image he had for Blaise was completely wrong. The teenager was joyful and eager to learn the "untold" versions of Harry's stories. 

"Give him a break, Blaise! He's tired of telling all these stories!"  
"No he's not. He thinks he is. So, the sword just like... appeared in the hat?!"  
Harry laughed.   
They found a remote, yet welcoming and beautiful small park sat on a bench- Harry climbed on its back. Draco sat in front of him.  
"Oh for Merlin's sake... Nobody's watching, just hug him!"  
Harry looked around and then looked at the blushing Slytherin. "Can I?"  
Draco complied. Harry held him tightly.

"It certainly was a blast... but I really need to get back. It's already ten and I need to get to Mrs Figg's house before she falls asleep." Harry said. He was still holding Draco- the boy looked so peaceful in his arms.  
"Who is Mrs Figg?" the blonde asked sleepishly.  
"My catlady neighboor. I am staying at her place tonight." he said.  
"Poor thing..." Draco whispered, hugging Harry's waist.  
"Just... before we get back... Can I say something?" Blaise asked, giving Harry an examining look, ignoring completely the fact that his best friend was snuggling in his arms- besides, Draco would probably realise in a while that he was acting way too relaxed and get off Harry's arms.  
"Please, go ahead..." he asked, kissing Draco's hair softly.  
"Despite the fact that you managed to get the sword out of the hat, as a true Gryffindor... I still think you would make a fair Slytherin..."  
Harry smiled. "Well... the hat wanted to put me in Slytherin..."  
Blaise widened his eyes. "It... it did? I mean... why didn't it?"  
"I asked it not to..." Harry smiled.  
"Slytherin is not good enough for you, mister Potter?" Blaise said, smiling.  
"Well... I had met Draco earlier that day and he-"  
"No need to say more. I get it. Thank you Draco. You lost us Harry Potter." he said, looking at his best friend.  
"Oh, shut up, both of you..."

The three boys laughed. Blaise titled his head slightly.  
"Oh, look at you cuddling. You are such a sweet couple!"  
"And I was wondering when he would mock us.." Harry laughed.  
Draco's cheeks went red and pulled away from Harry, but the ebony-haired boy dragged him back in his arms.  
"You're not going anywhere..." he whispered in Draco's hair.  
Good thing he didn't want to go anywhere either, then...


	5. Poetry and specters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The poems are the first few lines from "To Zante" and the last verse of "The Raven".  
> What can I say, I have a thing for Poe. Figured out how to name Draco's owl, finally!
> 
> By the way.. answering your question... no, they didn't have sex after that! Patience!

"Here. Early birthday present."  
Aunt Petunia threw a book on the couch Harry was sitting, watching the news and went in the kitchen.  
His uncle and cousin were gone, his aunt didn't really care, so he could, for once, watch the news without having anyone asking him annoying questions.  
Twenty minutes later, though, the attractive presenter was talking about the guiness records, so Harry turned his attention on the book his aunt had thrown next to him. "Edgar Allan Poe Poems". Either his aunt thought Harry was into poetry,or she wanted to get rid of the book- it was probably a gift from someone who didn't know his aunt very well.  
He opened it on a random page and read the first few lines.

 

TO ZANTE

_Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers_  
 _Thy gentlest of all gentle names dost take!_  
 _How many memories of what radiant hours_  
 _At sight of thee and thine at once awake!_  
 _How many scenes of what departed bliss!_  
 _How many thoughts of what entombed hopes!_

(....)

Definitely not his style.  
Maybe Hermione would like it...  
The last letter he had received from the girl came in his mind- it was as frustrating as ever. She was in the Burrow, having fun with Ron, while he was stuck in this place he hated, angry and alone.  
Well, not really alone...  
And not so angry, after all... all thanks to a certain blonde Slytherin.  
He looked at the book. Maybe it was time to start corrupting Draco, after all...  
\-------------------------------------

"Edgar Allan Poe.."  
"He's a very famous muggle poet... and writter, I think. He is a bit macabre, though... He talks a lot about death and loss... or so I've heard." Harry said, looking at the cover of the book. A black quil, a pair of rusty keys and a skull on an old piece of parchment, all on a crimson background.  
They were in Hogsmeade, sitting on the same, remote little park they were last time with Blaise. Harry couldn't help but wonder- how come nobody ever visited this place? It trully was beautiful. The gentle breeze wafted the scent of wet grass to his nose. There were many wooden, small benches, all hidden behind the dense foliage of multiple trees, the permanent inhabitants of the park. Emerald green leaves were hiding the boys from strangers' eyes.  
Draco seemed to insist this place was safe and not just because the trees were providing them with an enchanting hideout.

Draco browsed through the pages of the book and stopped on something that seemed interesting.  
"What are you reading?"  
"The Raven." the teenager answered.  
Harry let his boyfriend wander in this unconventional, new dreamland. His eyes caressed the boy's pale face. He smiled. His boyfriend was handsome.  
Draco lifted his eyes some time later and met Harry's. The brunette widened his eyes and turned away, embarassed at the thought of how silly and lovestruck he must have seemed.  
Draco chuckled. "I'm glad you like what you see..."  
Harry's cheeks went red.  
"You're a great representative of your house!" Draco laughed. "Seriously though, you're so easy to embarass!"  
"How do you like the book?" Harry said, trying to change the subject.  
"Quite honestly... I love it!" Draco opened the book on the last page of the poem he was reading. 

_"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting_  
 _On the palid burst of Pallas just above my chamber door;_  
 _And his eyes have all the seeming of a deamon's that is dreaming,_  
 _And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;_  
 _And my soul from out the shadow that lies floating on the floor_  
 _Shall be lifted- nevermore!"_

"A bit creepy for my taste... but I love the sound of your voice when you read... so I would endure anything." Harry said, smiling.  
"You would endure anything... just to hear the sound of my voice?" Draco asked quietly.  
"Well... yes."

Draco moved closer to Harry and kissed him. Harry held him tightly- he couldn't get enough of those lips.  
"You know", the ebony-haired boy whispered when they broke the kiss, "this is more than surprising..."  
"What?"  
"You are kissing me... in, well.. public." Harry said, caressing blonde hair.

Draco smirked and climbed on Harry's lap, enjoying Harry's pleasantly confused look. He wrapped his legs around Harry's waist. Harry stroked his back. "I see we are well beyond kissing."  
"It's completely safe. Nobody ever comes here." Draco said, smiling.  
"How can you be so certain?"  
"It's right behind the Shrieking Shack- it's called the Haunted Forest." Draco whispered, placing his lips on Harry's while talking.  
"It's not a forest..." Harry answered, caressing the blonde's lips with his own.  
"Purebloods. What did you expect?" the Slytherin said, smiling. "It's been said that specters and tree sprites hide in the trees... Some say the trees whisper to each other in the night, too. Poltergeists jump from behind the bushes and scare the unwary..." he continued, in a quiet, mysterious voice.

"And I suppose we believe none of those things..?" Harry said, trying to ignore the pleasant shivers that were travelling down his spine. He was caressing Draco's body- he wanted to touch the boy's skin...  
"Poltergeists? No. Tree sprites? Probably. Specters... definitely. Blaise insists he has seen a spectre here." he said.  
"So we know we are not completely alone in this place but we still come here... I am the reckless Gryffindor in this relationship, Draco." Harry smiled.  
"Few people know enough about sprites and specters. In reality, if you don't hurt their home, they won't hurt you. Well... THESE kinds of specters that can possibly inhabit this place. If you respect them, they have no reason to disturb you." Draco said.

Harry stroked his boyfriend's legs. "This sounds a bit confusing to me."  
"I can explain... there are many kinds of specters..." Draco said. He stroked Harry's lips with his own and then bit them softly.  
"Yes, do explain... not now, though..." his hands had slipped under Draco's shirt.  
"My, my... Potter... someone might see us!" Draco said, smiling seductively.  
"You're the one who climbed on my lap. You will now face the consequences..." he whispered.

Draco pressed his body on Harry's, kissing him passionately. "You don't worry about specters and poltergeists anymore, then?" he gasped, as Harry trailed his tongue along the curve of his jaw.  
"Right now, they can stuff it..."


End file.
